johnmarkharris.net

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Do you feel guilty? Sometimes people get the wrong impression that the point of becoming a Christian, the real reason for accepting God’s grace, is that you can stop feeling guilty. There’s a problem with that view, sometimes we feel guilty because we are guilty. See, the Holy Spirit is here, in part, to convict every single person of their sin and to show them the truth. When we are caught up in doing something we shouldn’t do, or not doing something we should, we feel guilt, this is “godly sorrow.” If you are a believer, this is meant to lead you to turn from your sin and do what is right. Now, once you have confessed your sin, know that He has forgiven that indiscretion and cleansed you from even the hint of ungodliness, but you must repent. You must turn. You must be willing to change. The Christian has the wonderful gift of only having to feel guilt as long as we choose. As soon as you give your sin up to God, you are no longer guilty…

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way… We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.

Why are you waiting? If you don’t know Jesus, don’t take more time. Don’t think it through more. Don’t wait until it “feels right.” TODAY is your day. Now is the time. Right here, in this moment, give your life to Jesus. It’s our job, as Christians, each of us having been given the ministry of reconciliation, to tell people the truth. We don’t change or soften the truth at all… we put no extra roadblocks up to hinder them either. Plain and simple, if you have not yet given your life to Jesus, you must do it NOW. The only thing holding you back, is you. It’s no one else’s fault you aren’t yet a Christian but you. It’s not a church’s fault, it’s not your family’s fault, it’s all on you. And you have the power to fix it… open your heart to Jesus today. (And if you know Him, tell someone about Him)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore on behalf of Christ: “be reconciled to God!” For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

You’re not the same person you were when you came to know Jesus, you’re something altogether different. You WERE a sinner, now you’re a saint. This is what He did for us so we could be reconciled to Him. The separation we had from God is no longer. More than this, He has now given us this same ministry to offer this reconciliation to the rest of the world. WE are how He is setting things right with the world. WE are His ministers of reconciliation. Our message is for everyone, the good news that there doesn’t need to be a separation between them and God… He is for them, WE are for them… “BE RECONCILED TO GOD!” through Jesus Christ, He became sin for you.

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

The gospel isn’t complex and it is not difficult to understand. We do not need to enhance the simple message of our sin, Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection etc. We do not need a “bait-n-switch” of offering one thing only to change it to another once we “get ‘em.” Following Jesus means giving-up your life, everything you are, into the hands of your new Lord… but it’s totally worth it! We are not asking people to add a little Jesus to their life, to change their behavior, or anything else we might try to feed people in order to soften the truth… following Jesus demands personal death to yourself so that He might live through you. It’s not difficult, we sin, that keeps us from God. God sent Jesus to pay for our sins, He did, now you can exchange your messed-up sinful life for His perfect sacrifice… but you can’t keep both. That’s the gospel, and it truly is “good news,” and it’s our story to tell. If someone doesn’t understand, let it be a spiritual issue, not because we didn’t communicate it clearly. 

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

When you meditate on the Lord, you spend time looking at Him in His word, you begin to see who He is. He is marvelous! When we give our lives to Him, there is a veil, a barrier between us and God, that is removed. This freedom between us and God allows us to perceive the truth of Scripture. When you’re looking at Jesus, seeing who He really is through His word, as you are learning more and more about Him, you naturally become more like Him. He is where you are pointed, you are headed in His direction. Believers are each a residence of the Holy Sprit and He changes us. Day-by-day, part-by-part, sometimes little-by-little, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, as God makes changes in our lives, we progress to become more like him. Keep your eyes on Him today.